Published on April 13th, 2023 | by University Communications
0Saint Leo earns 1st place in nation for voter registration
Saint Leo University earned first place nationwide for voter registration during the March Vot-ER National Healthy Democracy Campaign. Within 30 days, the Saint Leo community now has 66 new voter registrations, and nine voter readiness (ballot request/find-my-legislator/find-my- polling station) for a total competition impact of 75.
Vot-ER is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare. “Voting, a human right, provides individuals with an equal voice, self-determination, power within the political system, and meaningful participation in the decision-making process,” the Vot-ER website states. “From the settlement house movement in the 1920s to Human SERVE (Human Service Employees Voter Registration and Education Campaign) in the 1980s and to Voting is Social Work (National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign) today, social workers have encouraged people to vote. The profession has long understood that voter engagement increases individual well-being, promotes civic participation, and is essential to a robust democracy.”
“This success is because you helped distribute flyers, allowed us to table at your events, present in your classrooms, or shared our information on social media and in your course shells,” said Christina Cazanave, director of internship and instructor for Saint Leo’s Undergraduate Social Work Program. “Even though the Saint Leo University Why Vote? Campaign has been a yearlong initiative, our efforts are now nationally recognized, congratulated, and proving that despite politics, we can all unite in the spirit of nonpartisan democracy. Thank you for your support in getting us to this point.”
The last voter registration event will take place Saturday, April 22, at Admitted Students Day. Look for the table at the involvement fair! The registration team hopes to inform young students about the benefits of voting and to inform parents that they need to reapply for a mail-in ballot.
For more information, contact Christina.cazanave@saintleo.edu.